Czechs aim to join ‘core’ Europe

The Czech parliament yesterday (18 February) approved the formation of a three-party government that says it will pursue a European policy aimed at taking the country to the “core” of Europe.

The government’s European agenda is likely to be the central element of discussion when the prime minister, Bohuslav Sobotka, visits Brussels tomorrow (20 February) to meet the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso.

Sobotka, who leads the Social Democrat (ČSSD) party, heads a government that includes Christian Democrats and a young party, ANO, that is seeking admission to the group of European liberal parties. The coalition has an 11-vote majority in the 200-seat parliament.

The government’s declaration marks a significant shift in the policies of the Czech Republic. The last elected government, which collapsed in mid-2013, included a range of differing views on Europe, but its policy was principally shaped by a Eurosceptic party, the Civic Democrats (ODS).

Writing on the pages of European Voice on 6 February, the new foreign minister, Lubomír Zaorálek, said that the government now fully backs adoption of the euro.

The government programme does not, however, provide a target date for entry into the eurozone.

Tomáš Prouza, the state secretary for European affairs, told European Voice that the government’s aim was to remove all technical obstacles as swiftly as possible, to put the next government in a position to bid for membership.

All countries that, like the Czech Republic, joined the EU in 2004 accepted adoption of the euro as an obligation, but admission to the eurozone is subject to economic criteria and the timing of adoption is subject to governments’ discretion.

Adoption of the euro is part of a broader drive towards a more mainstream European position. “The goal of our European policy is to direct ourselves towards the integrationist core of Europe and to act on the European stage as a coherent and credible partner,” the action plan states.

It also commits the country to supporting “steps towards deeper co-ordination of economic and fiscal policy” and to joining the EU’s ‘fiscal compact’.

The Czech Republic is one of just two EU countries that is not a member of a 2012 inter-governmental agreement whose signatories pledged to abide by stricter financial rules. The other exception is the United Kingdom.

Prouza said that the government this morning gave the civil service 30 days to draw up technical plans for entry into the fiscal pact.

The government manifesto, which maintains the country’s traditional support for freer markets, also places a strong emphasis on “active participation in the formulation of the EU’s climate and energy policies”.

Prouza said the Czech Republic, a heavily industrialised state, would press for EU discussion about climate action to be combined with discussion about energy policies. The new government is “very doubtful about targets for renewable energy”, Prouza said, pointing to distortions to the market produced by Europe’s efforts to develop renewable-energy industries.

The programme states that the government will “continue to support the appropriate engagement of the Czech Republic in the missions and operations of the [EU’s] common security and defence policy”.

The Czechs have historically prioritised NATO-led missions, but the country has become increasingly engaged in EU missions, most visibly in Mali. Prouza said the country, which has a relatively small army, would share capabilities “where it makes sense and where we could add value”.

The Czech foreign ministry has also begun an internal review that could see structural adjustments to reflect national priorities.